Paul Merson has predicted the fortunes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino shake hands
Pundit Paul Merson has told The Mirror that he thinks Tottenham Hotspur will finish above North London rivals Arsenal for the next five years.
Tottenham gave their title hopes a real boost on Saturday afternoon as they beat Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor thanks to second-half goals from Eric Dier and Son Heung-min.
Elsewhere, Chelsea lost 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace, meaning Spurs now lie seven points behind the Premier League leaders, giving themselves an opening in the race for the title.
Such is Tottenham’s focus on the race for the Premier League crown that their gap over North London rivals Arsenal has barely been mentioned since the Gunners’ 2-2 home draw with Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Spurs now lie a whopping 11 points ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League table, and whilst the Gunners do have one game in hand, the long-running St. Totteringham’s Day tradition may be coming to an end.
The celebration of finishing above Tottenham has lasted 21 years, but making it 22 looks unlikely right now – and former Gunners ace Paul Merson has admitted that he is worried.
Pundit Merson has told The Mirror that he doesn’t think Tottenham’s expected finish above Arsenal will be a one-time thing, predicting that Spurs will actually finish ahead of Arsenal for the next five years.
Paul Merson
Merson added that he is worried by Tottenham’s plan moving forward, as many players are tied down to new contracts, whereas Arsenal have concerns over Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil – but does think that Spurs’ new stadium could give Arsenal a glimmer of hope.
“Arsenal won the title there twice, but that could be the day when they go to White Hart Lane for the last time and it cements Spurs finishing in the top four and Arsenal are out of it,” said Merson. “Tottenham are flying high and Arsenal are flying down. I know it’s been 21 years since Spurs finished above Arsenal but this season is not going to be a one-off. I don’t think Arsenal will finish above Tottenham for the next five years. I don’t see how it will stop unless Spurs have to sell players to pay for their new stadium.”
“If someone comes in with £80million for Harry Kane, £60m for Dele Alli or £35m for the full-backs, can they turn down that kind of money? If they can, Arsenal won’t finish above them for a long time. Of this Arsenal team, only Sanchez would get in the Tottenham side, and it is so worrying the way Spurs have got a plan. Every other week you see Mauricio Pochettino with a new player signing a deal, but Arsenal seem to be going the other way – eight players out of contract and their two best players by a million miles could soon be out of contract,” he added.
Do you think Tottenham have overtaken Arsenal on and off the pitch?
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